As network architectures transition towards open, disaggregated hardware, Open Source Switch Operating Systems (like SONiC) have unlocked unprecedented access to hardware telemetry. Concurrently modern transceivers offer advanced Vendor Digital Monitoring (VDM) capabilities that go far beyond classic Digital Diagnostic Monitoring (DDM). However the industry still struggles to utilize this data for proactive operations.
This presentation demonstrates how to leverage open VDM interfaces within Open Source Switch OS architectures to establish a continuous, high-frequency telemetry pipeline. By analyzing realtime physical layer metrics - such as pre-FEC bit error rates, laser bias current shifts and optical signal degradation - we showcase how to move from reactive troubleshooting to predictive maintenance. Attendees will learn how open software paradigms enable operators to detect impending Layer 1 failures before packet loss occurs ensuring maximum network uptime without vendor lock-in.
Thomas Weible is the creative brain of FLEXOPTIX. A real rebel who dreams up innovations such as the FLEXBOX. He dives deep into the inner life of optics and loves experimenting on real-life problems with our customers. For more than 18 years he has been part of the internet community and has specialized in optical networking.
Dr. Gerhard Stein is Lead Research Engineer at FLEXOPTIX, in charge of ensuring that innovative and amazing prototypes can make it into the market.
Back in the 1990s, when he was still living in Mexico, he wrote small programs and assembled computers and network systems for customers. After his arrival in Germany, he began studying mechanical and process engineering at the TU Darmstadt, continued this at the Ruhr University Bochum, specialising computational engineering and received his doctorate in the field of simulation technology.